Postquake disaster comes out of sky
MEXICO CITY: After a powerful earthquake struck Mexico on Saturday, frightened survivors near the epicentre gathered in a field, opting to spend the night sleeping under the stars or in vehicles instead of in damaged homes that might collapse in aftershocks.
And then a second unexpected crisis hit. This time, it fell from the sky.
A military helicopter carrying top officials assessing quake damage was preparing to land nearby, when the pilot lost control. A few seconds later, the helicopter crashed to the earth — directly on to several vehicles packed with earthquake survivors.
Fourteen people on the ground died and least 21 people were injured, according to the state prosecutor’s office in Oaxaca, where the crash happened. The dead include at least three children.
Interior Secretary Alfonso Navarrete, Oaxaca Governor Alejandro Murat and everybody else aboard the helicopter survived with only minor injuries, officials said.
Navarrete said the pilot of the Blackhawk helicopter lost control about 30m above the ground as it was preparing to land in the town of Jamiltepec, about 30km from the earthquake’s epicentre.
‘‘It is unfortunate that this happened,’’ Navarrete said, adding it was good ‘‘there was no greater loss of human lives’’.
Yesterday, Secretary of National Defence Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda arrived in Jamiltepec and apologised to residents, saying his agency ‘‘assumes total responsibility for what happened here’’.
‘‘This misfortune originated from our interest in helping the community here,’’ he said, adding his agency would help reconstruct homes and provide other assistance.
Mexicans reacted angrily to the crash, some questioning why a helicopter would try to land in a dark field.
‘‘In Oaxaca, a helicopter should not fly at night,’’ tweeted Mexican Senator Layda Sansores, who belongs to the leftleaning Morena party.
She called the accident ‘‘an act of stupidity, of failed leadership and unforgivable irresponsibility’’.
Navarrete and Murat were evaluating quake damage before their helicopter crashed.
According to the US Geological Survey, the 7.2magnitude quake struck near the town of Pinotepa in Oaxaca state at about 10.30pm on Saturday (NZ time). A 5.9 aftershock struck about an hour later, and was followed by smaller aftershocks —